Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that a single type of morning after pill can already be brought into Malta as it has a European permit allowing it to be sold in all EU countries.

He was speaking at a 'gvern li jisma' event at Castille.

This information came to light after he was briefed by the Medicines Authority, he said. "There could be Maltese companies who apply to bring in this pill, and we will not be able to stop them unless new legislation is enacted".

As for the debate relating to the morning after pill, he said that the Medicines Authority briefed him on the technical points relating to the morning after pill, and said that he wishes a discussion to take place within Parliamentary Committees in order for informed decisions on the morning after pill to take place. He said that government does not want to rush a decision.

The Prime Minister was also informed that there are persons who take other pills instead of the morning after pill which would see the same results. 

He spoke about government’s work over the past few months. “Over the past six months, this government passed through substantial challenges, challenges that took their toll on us personally and politically. But at the same time government work kept on moving forward. It is clear that government managed to achieve results, and we learnt from the things we went through”.

He said that today, Malta has the highest amount of persons in unemployment in history, and that Malta is on the road to being the best in Europe. “Unemployment has halved since the first day Labour took government,” he said. “We passed Germany when it comes to low unemployment rates”.

He reiterated that the upcoming budget will not have any surprises, “but we will ensure that the benefits being seen through our economic growth sees more people benefit”.

The Prime Minister spoke of works done on waiting lists at Mater Dei Hospital. 

"We will introduce new services and will have foreigners coming to Malta, living in Gozo, receiving care to the benefit of the Gozo economy".

Turning to high rises, he said that in the past everyone could build wherever they wanted, "yet this government said that there must be specific areas where high-rise constructions could be built".

The need for new infrastructure around St Julian’s as a result of high-rises

Dr Muscat said that without high-rises, development would most likelye need to take up the little green areas left on the island.

He said that interest for such projects seems to be centred around the Paceville area. He spoke about a Masterplan for St Julian’s and government will also look at the impact of all the propped high-rises on this area. He said government will listen to what the people have to say. He said that the studies would delve into the infrastructure of the area, and if it is not sufficient, work would need to be done creating a new system of roads in the area, as well as improvements to the drainage system made. He said developers would need to contribute to this. ”This will be the first masterplan of this type in Malta. This is the structured way in which this government is working, not looking at who someone knows, but rather through a clear plan that will ensure our resources are used well”.

Home-schooling not for those being bullied

Dr Muscat then spoke about changes to education legislation, and urged every parent and student to take part in the public consultation regarding legislative changes. “We have a situation where vulnerable children, with separated parents who argue, would need to await a court decision for a decision regarding their education to be taken. We are changing this, and a board of educators will, in situations where there is a lack of agreement between parents with regards to a child’s education, take that decision”.

He said that there are other times where there is a lack of agreement between parents and teachers over a child’s education. “Where there is disagreement in this regard, the board would intervene”.

He spoke about home-schooling, which will allow parents to engage warranted teachers to homeschool their children, in certain situations, where a child's circumstances will be taken into consideration before a decision is taken. “There are cases where a child would need a lot of attention, to the point where they would need to be taught at home”. He said that this would only be allowed in certain situations, and not, for example, in cases of bullying, where Dr Muscat believes they should socialise even more.

Brexit – defining a generation of Europeans

As for Brexit, Dr Muscat said that whatever happens with regards to Brexit, it will define a generation of Europeans. “It is a decision that showed the discontentment of a number of people, that people feel forgotten. If there is a person who believes their job was stolen by an immigrant, we need to understand the problems faced by these people and not ignore them. Political parties need to listen to these people and not outright ignore them, to understand what their problems are. On the other hand there were protests in favour of the EU in the UK, who would have seen that coming,” he quipped. “I don’t exclude there being a different kind of backlash on Brexit, showing that people want Europe”.

He spoke about the importance of the EU changing to be closer to the people. “We need to be a  kind of Europe that is not part of an elite, where we don’t close ourselves off and use a system which would sees people as flies, cutting off from everything”.

As for an agreement regarding students in the UK, he said that if no agreement is reached at EU level, government will try and seek some form of agreement with the UK in this regard.

Turning to persons with disabilities, he said there are certain disabilities which would not allow someone to go out and work. “Our aim is to start down the road and ensure that those persons with disability who are unable to work see their benefits rise to eventually have equal income to the minimum wage”.

On the Citadella project, he said that government’s vision is not for it to be a museum, but rather for it to be a hub, where a rehabilitation of the current court building can occur, where some businesses can operate.